Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Laws for the little folks

If you needed any further evidence that nanny state laws are intended to apply only to us peons and not to our political masters, take the recent automobile accident suffered by New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine for example.

The Garden State is one of the more intrusive and authoritarian jurisdictions in the country. At one time, the state actually barred restaurants from serving eggs soft-boiled or sunnyside-up, alleging that eggs served that way are "undercooked" and not fit for consumption. And it's a primary-enforcement state for seat belt laws, meaning the police can pull you over and issue a ticket for nothing more than failing to buckle up in your own car.

But Corzine, the chief executive of New Jersey, wasn't wearing his belt. And he was sitting next to a state trooper -- his chauffeur -- while flouting the state law. Clearly, Governor Corzine didn't expect his driver to pivot in his seat and write him a ticket. After all, he's the governor of the state, and so above such petty concerns as the myriad laws his subjects are bound to obey. He clearly assumed, correctly, that no police officer would dare to call him on his violation of the statute.

Corzine didn't want to wear a seat belt, so he didn't. But he has never called for a repeal of the state law that has resulted in unpleasant encounters with the police for other state residents who share his attitude toward seat belts, but lack the political clout to escape punishment.

Let's face it. It's good to be king.

Update: It turns out that Governor Corzine's car was traveling at 91 mph--well over the 65 mph speed limit. Can you say "sense of entitlement"?

5 Comments:

From the Washington Times article:New Jersey law requires all front-seat occupants of a vehicle to wear a seat belt. Violators face a $46 fine.

Any bets that New Jersey will be raising that fine now?

In Michigan the fine is $60, and of course, we are also a "primary-enforcement" state (even though when the seat belt requirement was frst enacted, our politicians swore that it would never be a "rpimary-enforcement" law.)

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About Me

Name: J.D. Tuccille

Location: United States

I'm a northern Arizona-based writer and editor with a strongly pro-freedom bent. My columns appear primarily online, but have also been published in newspapers including the Washington Times, the Arizona Republic and the Arizona Daily Sun. Email me: jd(at)tuccille.com